Pryor rips Cotton vote against student loan bill LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Pryor didn’t hesitate in going after expected Republican rival Tom Cotton of Dardanelle on Thursday for his vote against a measure that would lower the costs of college borrowing for millions of students. Pryor’s re-election campaign called Cotton’s vote against the measure a sign that Cotton is ignoring the needs of his district. Cotton was one of six Republicans in the House and the only Arkansas ...

Danville among rural airports awarded FAA grantLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Six rural airports in Arkansas will receive $1.2 million in grants from the Federal Aviation Administration to make improvements. The Arkansas Congressional delegation made the announcement Thursday. The airports receiving the funds are the Carlisle Municipal Airport, the Clarendon Municipal Airport, the Corning Municipal Airport, the Danville Municipal Airport, the Marked Tree Municipal Airport and the Bearce Airport in Mou...

Experts seek quick end to China chicken banLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Poultry experts said Wednesday they are hopeful China will quickly lift import restrictions put in place after nine Arkansas chickens were exposed to a strain of avian flu. The U.S. Department of Agriculture told Arkansas’ congressional delegation Tuesday that China had stopped importing Arkansas chicken parts, following similar moves by Japan and Russia. A reason wasn’t cited, but nine birds at a Scott County farm were expo...

Democratic party chairman stepping downLITTLE ROCK (AP) — The chairman of the Arkansas Democratic Party on Wednesday announced he was stepping down after two and a half years at the helm as he considers a potential run for public office next year. The state party announced that Will Bond would serve until Sept. 14, when the party’s state committee elects a new chairman. Gov. Mike Beebe, a Democrat, announced he’s backing Vincent Insalaco as Bond’s replacement. Bond, a former state ...

Ark. AG: Clarksville can't arm teachers, staffLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas school districts can't use a little-known state law to employ teachers and staff as guards who can carry guns on campus, the state's attorney general said Thursday in an opinion that likely ends a district's plan to arm more than 20 employees when school starts later this year. Attorney General Dustin McDaniel wrote in a legal opinion issued by his office that a state board that licenses private security agencies di...

Cotton to run for US Senate LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Republican Rep. Tom Cotton plans to announce his bid next week to challenge two-term incumbent Democratic Sen. Mark Pryor in next year's elections, according to a person familiar with the congressman's plans. The freshman congressman has scheduled an event Tuesday with supporters in his hometown of Dardanelle. A person who has spoken with Cotton said the congressman intends to enter the race against Pryor, who faces...

Alma sets vote for school security proposalALMA (AP) — Voters in Alma will decide this fall whether to approve a property-tax increase to pay for police officers at each of the city school district's four campuses. The Sept. 17 vote will decide whether to increase the district's millage by 1.2 mills. Superintendent David Woolly said the proposal is a direct response to last year's deadly school shooting in Newtown, Conn. "What caused that to get everyone's attention was the fact that i...

Israeli-Palestinian aim: A peace deal in 9 months WASHINGTON (AP) — Pressing ahead in a new U.S.-backed push for Middle East peace, Israeli and Palestinian negotiators agreed Tuesday to meet again within two weeks to start substantive talks in hopes of reaching a long-elusive settlement within nine months. Speaking after the two sides wrapped up an initial two days of talks at the State Department and visited President Barack Obama at the White House, Secretary of State John Kerry said Israel...

Investors look to Fed for further clues on rates WASHINGTON (AP) — When the Federal Reserve offers its latest word on interest rates this week, few think it will telegraph the one thing investors have been most eager to know: When it will slow its bond purchases, which have kept long-term borrowing rates low. The Fed might choose to clarify a separate issue: When it may raise its key short-term rate. The Fed has kept that rate near zero since 2008. It’s said it plans to keep it there at leas...

Obama proposes ’grand bargain’ for jobs WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama, seeking to break Washington’s fiscal stalemate, is proposing cutting corporate tax rates in exchange for more spending on jobs programs. But his offer was immediately panned by congressional Republicans, casting doubts about its prospects. The White House painted the new offer as a way for Washington to create jobs and generate short-term economic growth even as hopes for a grand deficit reduction deal...

Better economic growth likely to follow weak Q2 WASHINGTON (AP) — The economy is expected to have grown at a dismal pace in the April-June quarter, weighed down by large tax increases and steep government spending cuts. But the second quarter should be the low point for the year, economists say. The fiscal drag is expected to fade. At the same time, steady hiring, more business spending and a solid recovery in housing should push growth higher in the second half of the year. Economists fore...

Democrat Dianne Curry drops out of lt. gov’s race LITTLE ROCK (AP) — The president of the Little Rock School Board announced Tuesday she was dropping her 2014 bid for lieutenant governor and is considering a run for a central Arkansas congressional seat. Dianne Curry, who launched her run for the state’s No. 2 constitutional office in June, announced her plans Tuesday morning after telling the Pulaski County Democratic Committee about her decision the night before. “What we are fighting for i...

Auditor: $11.3M in unclaimed property returned LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Auditor Charlie Daniels’ office said $11.3 million in unclaimed property was returned to owners in the past fiscal year. Daniels’ office on Monday announced that more than 13,000 Arkansans received a check for unclaimed property during the fiscal year that ended June 30. The returns mark a 30 percent increase over the amount of claims paid in 2012. The office credited its new online claims process with driving up th...

Manning guilty of 20 charges, not aiding the enemy FORT MEADE, Md. (AP) — In a split decision, U.S. Army Pfc. Bradley Manning was acquitted Tuesday of aiding the enemy — the most serious charge he faced — but was convicted of espionage, theft and nearly every other count for giving secrets to WikiLeaks, a verdict that could see him spend the rest of his life in prison. The judge, Army Col. Denise Lind, deliberated over three days before delivering a decision that denied the government a preced...

Child prostitution: Raids rescue 105 young people WASHINGTON (AP) — Declaring child prostitution a “persistent threat” in America, the FBI said Monday that authorities had rescued 105 young people and arrested 150 alleged pimps in a three-day sweep in 76 cities. The agency said it had been monitoring Backpage.com and other websites as a prominent online marketplace for sex for sale. Backpage.com said that it was “very, very pleased” by the raids and that if the website were shut down to the a...

Experts: Unlikely US helped NZ spy on reporter WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. official said Monday that the National Security Agency did not monitor phone conversations between a New Zealand journalist and his Afghan sources, following claims by the journalist that his reporting was monitored by the U.S. intelligence programs revealed by NSA leaker Edward Snowden on behalf of New Zealand’s military. Officials in the intelligence community and experts said if any surveillance was done, it was mor...

Obama, Clinton meet for lunch, sparking 2016 buzz WASHINGTON (AP) — When is a lunch more than just a midday meal? When the two diners are President Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton, and inquiring minds want to know who, if anyone, the president will endorse in 2016. A summertime meal shared by Obama and his rival-turned-ally threw the political speculation machine into overdrive Monday, highlighting how closely both are being watched for signs of their intentions in the next presidenti...

Pending sales of US homes slip from 6-year high WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of Americans who signed contracts to buy homes dipped in June from a six-year high in May, a sign that sales could stabilize over the next few months. The National Association of Realtors said Monday that its seasonally adjusted index for pending home sales ticked down 0.4 percent to 110.9 in June. The May reading was revised lower by a percentage point to 111.3, but it was still the highest since December 2006. Th...

Restoration of dome underway at Capitol LITTLE ROCK (AP) — Arkansas Secretary of State Mark Martin says restoration of the state Capitol’s interior dome is underway. Martin announced the beginning of the project on Monday. He says a grant from the Arkansas Natural and Cultural Resources Council is funding the restoration. Martin’s office says work on the project will continue through the fall. The dome’s interior will be repainted to be as historically accurate as possible, dating b...

Halter drops out of Arkansas governor’s raceLITTLE ROCK (AP) — Former Lt. Gov. Bill Halter dropped out of the race for Arkansas governor on Monday, saying he wanted to avoid a divisive primary with former U.S. Rep. Mike Ross for the Democratic nomination in 2014. Halter, who entered the race in January, told supporters in an email that he was ending his bid for the state’s top office. A spokesman for Halter said the former lieutenant governor would not be available for further comment. ...